


When in Doubt Blame Harmony

by Aaronlisa



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Jossverse
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-04
Updated: 2012-03-04
Packaged: 2017-11-01 03:24:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/351440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aaronlisa/pseuds/Aaronlisa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Willow and Cordelia are handcuffed together in a basement.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When in Doubt Blame Harmony

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cdybedahl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cdybedahl/gifts).



> Written for Round 68 at femslash_minis for Cdybedahl who wanted the pairing, handcuffs, Seaason 2-3, "I didn't mean to do that" without angst and non-con. There's a bit of angst because it's Cordelia and Willow but it's not the focus of the story. Set during Season Two after Angel has become Angelus.

It's not as if Cordelia even liked Willow that _way_. Scratch that, it's not as if Cordelia did anything more than merely tolerate Willow because of Xander. There was no liking involved in tolerating. However she might insist that she doesn't like Willow (and please be assured that Cordelia Chase would have been the president of the "I hate Willow Rosenberg Club" if Willow had ever been popular enough to have such a club), it still doesn't explain how she ended up being handcuffed to the redhead. 

"I didn't mean to do that," Cordelia says in a hushed angry sort of way when their shoulders bump. The implication is that this is all of Willow's fault. 

Willow simply looks at her and arches an eyebrow in the dim light. It's a look that a year ago, would have been found on Cordelia's face. If, and that's a very big if, Cordelia had been into slumming it. She's still not quite sure how Buffy Summer's arrival meant the decline in her popularity. Surely, other people can see the fact that there's _vampires_ running about town besides Buffy and her pathetic little Scooby gang. And Cordelia, of course, but apparently every one is far more talented at not seeing the obvious. 

Cordelia dramatically sighs and moves her hand to push her hair back, only to have Willow yank back. The cheerleader (at least the other girls haven't dared kick her off of the squad) looks at Willow in disgust. Doesn't Willow understand the importance of grooming? Even if they're doomed to be food for some vampire if Buffy doesn't finish taking her sweet time in finding them. 

"Use your other hand," Willow acidly points out. 

There's something about Willow's tone of voice that annoys Cordelia. Where does Willow, a nobody in the social hierarchy of high school, get off acting like she's better than Cordelia. Sure Cordelia's star is sinking because of the fact that she keeps getting stuck in compromising situations with Buffy's merry band of geeks, but Cordelia is still far more superior than Willow. She's tempted to point that out until something in the corner of the dank dungeon like basement groans, Cordelia presses closer to Willow (not that she'll ever admit that if Buffy ever manages to save them.) 

Willow sighs and mutters something that Cordelia can't quite understand. Instead of asking the redhead what she said, Cordelia proceeds to take Willow's words as an insult. 

" _Excuse_ me," Cordelia spits out. Her voice raising higher than it should. "This is so not my fault," 

"Shut up, Cordelia," Willow hisses at her. 

"If Buffy had a little more sense when it came to vampires, then maybe we wouldn't be in this mess.' 

Willow sighs and suddenly Cordelia finds herself tugged closer to Willow than she was before. She ignores the warm tingly sensation in the pit of her stomach, the same sensation she's always ignored. There's no way that Cordelia Chase would ever admit to liking Willow far more than she should, particularly far more than Cordelia ever cared for the star quarterback. For a brief moment, Cordelia thinks that Willow might just kiss her in order to shut her up and for some reason that excites her. If she's going to die in some damp and dirty basement of a warehouse while Buffy undoubtedly tries her hand at a battle of wits with Angelus, then Cordelia thinks it's only proper that she should be granted a chance to kiss Willow one time. 

However Willow doesn't kiss her. Instead her left hand, the one that's not handcuffed to Cordelia, grips Cordelia's jaw. It's rather tight and Cordelia moans a bit at the pressure. 

"Shut up," Willow hisses. "I'd rather not die because you had to prove a point about how popular you are." 

"That's rather unfair," Cordelia whispers. "This wasn't my fault." 

"Then who's fault is it?" Willow asks. 

"Harmony's." 

Cordelia's certain that she can hear Willow rolling her eyes in the darkness. Their bodies are pressed so close to one another so she feels, rather than hears, the quiet exhale of air from Willow. She shivers as Willow's breath stirs her hair and suddenly it doesn't seem too awful that she's here with Willow while Buffy's off doing whatever it is Buffy does when she's supposedly battling Angelus. 

"How is this Harmony's fault?" Willow asks. 

For a second, Cordelia's almost certain Willow's mouth is inches away from her jaw line. But that's impossible because Willow's not into girls. As far as Cordelia can tell, Willow's still mooning over Xander. 

"She's _always_ looking for ways to humiliate me," Cordelia replies with a pout. 

She doesn't see the need to explain further than that, if she does it'll only end up hurting Willow's feelings. And despite the fact that Cordelia only tolerates the redhead because of Xander, she doesn't really want to hurt her feelings. Especially not with death so close around the corner. Willow sighs and lowers her head, which bumps against Cordelia's shoulder. The brunette feels awkward but she still wraps her arm (the one that's not cuffed to Willow) around Willow's waist. It's not much but it's still a hug until Willow suddenly jerks upright and nearly hits Cordelia's jaw with her head. 

"What now?" Cordelia hisses. 

"In my backpack, there's a cross." 

"And how will that help us?" 

"Just get it out," Willow excitedly whispers. 

Before Cordelia can respond, Willow's pressing herself closer to Cordelia's body and for a moment, all Cordelia can think about is the exquisite press of Willow's curves against own. It doesn't help when Willow wiggles against her with a mouthed _hurry_ dangerously close to Cordelia's ear. Cordelia wonders if this is how Xander feels when she teases him. Still, she shifts so that she can raise her free arm up so that she can unzip the back pack and pull out the cross. 

"Now what?" Cordelia asks. 

"Now we have a weapon." 

Before she can respond, Willow's moving away (Cordelia makes a murmur at the loss of Willow's body against her that causes Willow to still.) 

"Cordelia is everything fine?" 

Cordelia does the only thing that she can, she dons the role of head cheerleader who hates this particular girl because of everything that she represents. She pushes out thoughts of wanting to see if Willow's lips taste like strawberries, like the faint hints of the scent that she can smell. 

"I'm handcuffed to you, how could anything be fine?" 

"Alright then," Willow says. "Let's do what we can to get this ordeal over with then." 

There's a hint of hurt underneath Willow's voice and it makes Cordelia feel guilty. She shouldn't feel guilty but this is Willow Rosenberg. Nothing with Willow Rosenberg is ever normal or as it should be. Cordelia sighs as she sinks back to the ground, pulling Willow down with her. When Willow winds up in her lap, Cordelia intends on writing it off on the other girl's clumsiness but Willow doesn't ask. 

"What are you doing?" Willow hisses. 

"This," Cordelia explains. As if that should tell Willow everything. 

Before Willow can do something stupid and ruin the moment, yet again, Cordelia shifts them so she can press her lips against Willow's. The kiss is awkward and for a moment, Willow is rigid in Cordelia's lap. And then Willow's hand is tangling in Cordelia's hair and the redhead is kissing her as if her life depends on it. It's a lovely thought but in Sunnydale, kisses rarely grant life. It's a thought that Cordelia pushes out of her head so that she can focus on Willow. 

She never thought that she'd ever have a lap full of Willow and it's far more delightful than she ever imagined it to be. And then Willow's pushing her away, or as far away as their handcuffed wrists will allow them. 

"Now what?" 

"Shh..." Willow hushes. 

Sure of enough, Buffy comes clambering down the stairs and Cordelia frowns at the Slayer's horrible timing. If she had just taken a few more moments to act all clever with Angelus (and seriously, that's not that hard to do, that'd be like Cordelia having a battle of wits with Harmony), Cordelia's fairly certain that she could have a slid a hand underneath Willow's horrible sweater. 

Cordelia grumbles as Willow pulls her towards Buffy and she resents how easily Willow falls into Buffy's arms. Of course, the fact that Buffy and Willow are best friends is something that Cordelia ignores. 

"If you're finished," Cordelia pointedly says as she rattles the handcuffs connecting her to Willow. 

Willow looks embarrassed but nods. 

"I don't have a key, we'll have to see if Giles has something." 

"Great," Cordelia mumbles. 

They end up following Buffy up the stairs. It's awkward and Cordelia is complaining the whole way up the stairs, until Willow's hand is pressed against the small of her back. The feeling is comforting, especially since, Willow's managed to slip her hand underneath the silk of Cordelia's blouse. Cordelia's certain that her face is red when they emerge out of the stairwell but when Willow flashes her a smile, it doesn't matter.

 

((END))


End file.
